RedeemingZorus Read Online Free PDF Page B

skin color. You won’t draw their attention
unless you say or do something odd. Just stay on my ass and don’t speak. Do you
think you can handle that?”
    “Yes.” He peered through the windshield at the shipyard.
“I’m leaving on a cargo ship?”
    “I’m sorry but first class seats inside one of those luxury
liners happened to be booked solid and, oh yeah, people would scream and
totally panic if they got an eyeful of a cyborg. According to the government,
your kind murdered humans on sight after you fried the circuits that kept you
under their control. People pretty much think cyborgs were killing machines
taking out anything within sight.”
    “I was not lodging a complaint. That is also untrue. We only
killed the humans we had to kill during our escape.” His gaze narrowed. “You
are unpleasant with your sarcasm.”
    “You’re not a joy to be around either.” Charlie shoved open
the door and exited the vehicle. She resisted the urge to watch the cyborg get
out of the car, figuring it wouldn’t be easy for him, but would amuse her.
“Hurry up,” she ordered.
    He met her at the front of the car. She scanned the area,
not seeing any movement. Her heart raced from fear but she also felt relieved
they’d made it that far without being arrested. That actually surprised her.
She’s been half sure this mission would be suicide. She assumed he followed as
she kept in the shadows of the buildings to head for the docking area where the
shuttle should be waiting.
    She froze in place when a door suddenly opened. Ten feet in
front of them light poured out onto the dark pavement and boots struck
concrete. Charlie watched with dread as the guy exited the building and knew if
he turned his head there would be no missing the sight of Zorus. They had
nowhere to hide, nothing to crouch behind, so she moved on instinct.
    The guy didn’t see her until she rounded him to keep his
attention on her instead of behind him where she’d come from. Her hands rubbed
her hips and she directed her sweetest smile at him.
    “Hi.”
    The man wore the uniform of a dock supervisor. Surprise
lifted his eyebrows but his green gaze roamed from her face down to her boots.
“This is a restricted area. I’m going to have to notify security.” He reached
for the communicator strapped to his wrist.
    Charlie grabbed his arm, careful not to seem too aggressive.
“I just came looking for some food.” She used her other hand to motion Zorus to
move around the building out of sight. “That’s all. Please don’t call security.
I’ve got a few credits to pay you if you just look the other way. Sometimes the
auto loaders drop a package of rations, they break open, and you guys just toss
them into your trash disposers. I sneaked in to grab a few for my family before
they are incinerated. Please have a heart and don’t turn me in for raiding your
garbage.”
    Movement from the corner of her eye assured her that Zorus
followed her silent order to ease around the building out of sight. Once she
bribed the worker, she could meet him there and get him to the shuttle. As soon
as she got paid, she’d head for the official space port to meet her brother.
Russell’s contacts, who’d ordered the rescue mission, had arranged passage on
one of the coach liners heading for Saturn where their new lives would begin.
She tried not to wince over the idea of living inside biodomes for the rest of
her life, breathing recycled air.
    The guy hesitated and Charlie knew she had him. No one in
their right mind would pass up a bribe over trash. If she were trying to steal
the good stuff, then no way would he take it for fear of losing his job, but it
wouldn’t be any skin off his nose if she wanted the stuff they destroyed. She eased
her hand inside her pocket, released his arm, and pulled out some credits. She
held them up.
    “Thank you.”
    He grabbed her hand instead of the money, twisted her wrist
painfully, and knocked her off balance enough to spin her